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A family-run engineering firm says it is on target to boost turnover following a £40,000 investment into its Northumberland operation.

Black Hills Products, which is run by husband and wife team Dave and Lynsey Crossman, made the investment to secure three ISO certifications that cover environmental, health and safety and continuous improvement performance. The Sleekburn-based operation provides fabricated component and assembly services to the utilities and renewable energy sectors, counting Northern Powergrid and SCJ Renewables among its customers.

The international standards put Black Hills in a niche market as few competitors of its size hold triple certification. Mr Crossman said: “Many businesses undertake one ISO certification, a small percentage opt for two, but rarely do they go for three concurrently, especially a small family firm like ours, which really motivated us to go beyond this requirement.

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"We want to be an industry leader so it’s important that we are at the forefront of best practice. We have been working to achieve these standards for 18 months. It is great news, and this success reflects the hard work, commitment and effort that has been made to ensure we meet stringent international standards.

"Our ISO certifications provide assurance that the company has robust, clearly defined procedures in place. We want to stand out from the crowd and give our clients confidence that their products are safe, reliable and fit for purpose. Implementing ISO systems ensures that we produce consistent outcomes with increased efficiency, which in turn helps to reduce costs and enables us to keep prices competitive for our clients.”

To secure all the three international standards in Quality Management Systems, Environmental Management Systems and Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems brought in Northumberland neighbours Emacity Procurement Services to analyse and setup new processes.

Emacity consultant Katy Lukasik, said: "It was a pleasure to work with them on their ISO journey. The certifications give Black Hills a competitive edge in competing for new business and instil even greater customer confidence in product performance, safety, quality, ethics and sustainability, which underpin each step of the operational process and delivering value to their customers."